I’m not sure when or where it very first began, but sometime in the past few years I noticed a wondrous thing of beauty starting to appear on the appetizer table at social gatherings. It was warm and creamy and spicy, and it elicited publicly inappropriate yum-noises from yours truly. I’ve heard it go by many names, but I’m sure you’ll recognize it when I say: buffalo chicken dip.
Everyone has a chili recipe, a comforting, go-to, maybe even committed to memory pot of warm, hearty goodness that emerges when the weather goes cold. A glimpse into one person’s bowl usually conveys an opinion on beans. A spoonful can tell you whether they have a taste for heat. Is it thick enough to stand on a plate or does it lend itself to a bowl and a spoon? You know yours.
This one is mine.
I was always sort of intrigued by those sausage-like tubes of prepared polenta. I walked past them in the grocery store countless times, picking one up, turning it over in my hands, sort of wanting to take it home but never quite sure what I'd do with it. I got super nerdy excited the first time I saw that they make one studded with quinoa, but then I realized I had even less of an idea of what I'd to with that. It was one of those weird things that I couldn't bring myself to purchase but also couldn't seem to ignore.
So one day I said what the hell and I tossed one in my basket.
I am always writing new recipes, so I don't often get around to making dishes from other blogs. It's a pretty special thing when I find a recipe elsewhere that I can't resist recreating in our kitchen. Below are links to a few of those such recipes. I thought you might like to have them too.
As a food blogger, I often feel pressured to write recipes that present with a certain “wow factor.” I think it’s in part about wanting to be innovative and interesting, and when I develop those kinds of recipes I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment, like I’m really stretching my creative muscles. Plus, the pretty, complicated, or outside-the-box dishes are a fun addition to any food-centric narrative.
I think that it can be easy to get caught up in cooking to impress, though. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to flaunt your culinary prowess, but it’s not exactly a sustainable daily practice. It’s certainly not the norm around here, especially as of late. Sometimes you just need to eat. Still, when deciding what to make for dinner, there are many times when I find myself questioning whether what I’m about to cook will be blog-worthy.
I realize that I’ve waited until we’re squarely out of summer and smack in the middle of winter squash season to share this recipe, but I’m going to stare pretentious foodie dogma in the face and say no biggie. You can wait for next year’s glut if you like, or you can just pick up a couple zukes from the grocery store and turn out this mind-blowingly easy side dish tonight. I mean, let’s be honest here—an in-season zucchini is not as big a deal as an August tomato or a fresh June strawberry.
I’ve mentioned before that I used to not be such a fan of summer squash—though that fact is hardly worth mentioning anymore since I now love it and keep finding so many new ways to use it each year: sautéed and stirred into a pasta sauce, tossed briefly over high heat in a stir-fry, or roasted soft and sweet. I’m realizing more and more, however, that my favorite way to enjoy zucchini in particular might be raw.
I recently got my hands on a packet of dried oyster mushrooms from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It seems that mushrooms from this region have quite the reputation. As in, they're supposed to be seriously good. Not one to buy into hype without some first-hand experience, I wanted to really give these 'shrooms a taste. This meant I'd need to use them in a way that would let their flavor shine, and adding them to a simple risotto seemed like the perfect way to do just that.
Risotto is one of those things that, for some reason, has developed a reputation for being difficult to make. Don't get me wrong, I have seen people mess it up--and royally--but I have a feeling those mishaps have more to do with a misunderstanding of what risotto is. Risotto is not merely rice with stuff in it. Rather, it is a creamy, comforting dish and a canvas for a multitude of flavors.
Like earthy mushrooms.
A few months ago, Chris and I found a coupon for something called the BluePrint Cleanse. I'd seen the name around and had always been sort of curious about trying a juice cleanse, so we decided to give it a go. We didn't do anything extreme, just a day, but found that the juices were really delicious and that we both felt great afterward. We also chose to schedule our cleanse for a busy day, when cooking or thinking about meals would have inevitably led to stress; it was nice to have things planned and made for us in advance. We've done it a couple times since, and we'll definitely do it again. For us, it feels good to give our systems a break.
We wouldn't do it if the juices didn't taste fantastic, though. Every last one is great. I often have a hard time deciding which is my favorite--usually it's the one I'm currently drinking. The green juice strikes a good balance between vegetal and lightly sweet, the spicy lemonade (a nod to the Master Cleanse) is zingy and energizing, and the pineapple apple mint--Chris' favorite--is a refreshing treat (if you have a juicer, Tracy from Shutterbean has a homemade version here). The last bottle of the day is filled with cashew milk and, after a day of light juices, the richness of it is super comforting.
I personally love the cashew milk, and I look forward to it each time we cleanse. Chris, on the other hand, likes the taste of it but has a hard time with the texture. It is a little bit grainy. As we were drinking our cashew milk during our most recent cleanse, I said to Chris, "You know, I could probably make a version of this that would taste pretty similar and just strain it through some cheesecloth so it would be smooth." He was on board, and that's exactly what I did.
Okay, so I know this is late. We’re almost halfway through September (what?!) and this is adapted from the August issue of Bon Appetit. I’m going to go ahead and blame the earthquake and the hurricane that happened over the course of a single week here in NYC (again, what?!). Now is probably better timing for this recipe anyway—and trust me, you’re going to want to make it now.
Check it out: tomato cheddar pie.
2 parts flour : 2 parts liquid : 1 part egg
When I was in high school, my mom randomly brought home a book one day. I won't call it a "diet" book--it was more like a fitness plan. She read it and then I, curious, read it as well. It was a smart plan, based on solid science of the body, and we were both inspired. We knew we could be living and eating better (at the time, I was hardly eating at all), so we decided to partner up and start taking care of ourselves. Six days each week, we got up together at 4am and exercised, alternating between cardio and lifting. We ate several small meals throughout the day and I stopped counting calories. As part of the plan outlaid in this book, it was also required that one day per week be a free day.
And by free, I mean free.
